I Rely On The Collapse Of The Character Setting To Survive In The Hands Of The Male Lead Chapter 251

Chapter 251

The next day, Lin Qingyang was finally able to get up. If he couldn’t even see them off, it would be embarrassing.

In the study, they met with Liu Xiaowei and his uncle. After discussing all matters with Liu Xiaowei, he went to arrange their departure, while his uncle stayed behind to discuss what happened last night.

“Xu Wenze was injured and abducted?” Lin Qingyang exclaimed in astonishment.

Chu Lishu frowned slightly. “The only group looking for him is from Duke Wei Guo’s residence?”

His uncle nodded in confirmation.

Chu Lishu nodded. “I see. Lu Shi, pay a visit to Duke Wei Guo’s residence and inquire about Xu Wenze.”

Lu Shi promptly acknowledged the order and left.

Lin Qingyang looked worried and asked, “Could it be that Prime Minister Li has decided to deal with Xu Wenze?” After all, under Chu Lishu’s maneuvers, the alliance between Prime Minister Li and Duke Wei Guo has shown cracks, maintaining only surface balance. If Concubine Mei dared to take action against Concubine Xu, then Prime Minister Li would naturally dare to target Xu Wenze.

“If so, he wouldn’t hide it from me. We can only wait for Lu Shi’s news.” Chu Lishu admitted that this time, he was also clueless. Duke Wei Guo’s actions weren’t important in any of his plans, so he hadn’t paid attention to them.

“By the way, there’s one more thing,” Uncle interrupted.

Both of them looked at him with curiosity, then suddenly, there was an alert from outside.

“Oh, it’s just an old acquaintance. It’s me, Master Wu Chang.”

Chu Lishu recognized that it was someone brought by Liu Xiaowei and let him in.

As the person entered, Lin Qingyang recognized him, “It’s the Flower Monk!”

The visitor immediately corrected him, “I’m not the Flower Monk anymore, kid, don’t mess around. I used to be known as the Flower Butterfly in the martial world, but now I’m Master Wu Chang.”

Lin Qingyang quickly apologized, “Sorry, I forgot for a moment, Master Wu Chang.”

“That’s more like it,” Wu Chang said, satisfied.

“Why are you here?” Chu Lishu asked, still puzzled.

Wu Chang sighed and said, “I was originally traveling outside. Coincidentally, I met this kid on his journey, and he insisted on dragging me back to the capital to talk about some strange things I encountered before. I couldn’t refuse him, so here I am.”

Both of them looked at Liu Xiaowei.

Ignoring the glance, Wu Chang continued, “Don’t bother looking at him. He can’t explain it clearly. Let me tell you what happened…”

After Wu Chang finished rambling, Lin Qingyang felt that perhaps his uncle’s concise summary would be more effective.

In fact, what happened was that while Wu Chang was out sightseeing, he suddenly discovered a large group of assassins infiltrating the Great Zhou from the neighboring country of Tianheng. Because they entered from all directions and converged at a point where Wu Chang happened to pass by, it didn’t attract anyone’s attention. However, being a veteran in the assassin world, Wu Chang naturally noticed something was amiss right away.

Wu Chang didn’t take it seriously at first, after all, assassins were used to moving around. He just mentioned it to Liu Xiaowei for fun, but unexpectedly, Liu Xiaowei became alert for a moment, although he couldn’t figure out why. Still, he brought Wu Chang back with him to explain in detail.

It would also be convenient if Chu Lishu had any more questions to ask.

Lin Qingyang quickly thanked his uncle and Wu Chang because of the relationship with Yu Chouxi. They wanted to know any news from Tianheng Kingdom.

After finishing the inquiries, Chu Lishu fell into deep thought for a moment.

The County Princess had already sent someone to summon them. After all, they were about to leave, so they had to bid farewell properly.

So, they had to temporarily set aside other matters and focus on sending off their relatives from the two prefectures out of the capital first.

On the way, the County Princess naturally had many words of advice for Lin Qingyang and Chu Lishu. Although she didn’t know what the two were up to, she sensed it was likely something difficult. She could only emphasize the need for caution repeatedly, reminding them that preserving their lives was the most important thing in any situation.

The two nodded in acknowledgment, and they only stopped several miles outside the city gate.

Before leaving, their uncle mentioned something about Xu Wenze again, as if there were unfinished matters weighing on his mind.

Lin Qingyang reassured his uncle that he would be informed if there were any updates.

With that, the carriage gradually moved away, carrying everyone along.

“Don’t worry, Cousin Liu’s guards are not to be underestimated, and with your uncle around, along with Flower Monk,” Chu Lishu comforted Lin Qingyang, patting him gently on the back.

Lin Qingyang nodded, saying, “We’ll see them again soon.”

They couldn’t linger outside for long; they had to return to the palace the same evening.

Just before going in, Lu Shi returned with news about Xu Wenze. It was confirmed that he had indeed suffered internal injuries, causing him to lapse into a temporary coma. Physicians and family members were taking care of him, and there were no alarming developments.

Chu Lishu could only assign someone to keep a close watch on Duke Wei Guo’s residence. If there were any signs of Xu Wenze waking up, they would be notified immediately.

Chu Lishu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss with Xu Wenze’s situation.

As for the assassins mentioned by Wu Chang, Chu Lishu also dispatched other subordinates to investigate. He also sent a message to Qi Ci, urging him to keep a close eye on the situation at the border. He had a lingering concern that those assassins were connected to Yu Suoxi. What worried him most was the possibility that Yu Suoxi would take advantage of their vulnerable situation and launch an attack on the Great Zhou. At such a time, there would be no immediate way to respond to a war.

Another matter that Chu Lishu was worried about was the situation in the east. Unable to wait any longer for news, he arranged for Lu Shi to go there personally.

He wanted to see why Zhao Cheng was still alive.

So Lu Shi went to deal with it.

Only then did the two of them enter the palace safely.

Just as they entered the palace, the next day, Concubine Mei approached them to discuss. She had already prepared to pressure the Emperor to name an heir.

Concubine Mei seemed a bit impatient, but it suited Chu Lishu’s intentions perfectly, as he also wanted to resolve all matters early. However, selecting a Crown Prince was a major affair. It was impossible to immediately choose one after the previous Crown Prince had been deposed not long ago. Doing so would not only arouse suspicion from the emperor but also infuriate him.

Yet, this father-daughter pair felt like they had the situation in the court under control, intoxicated by the prospect of victory. Blinded by their anticipated triumph, they didn’t want to wait any longer. Thus, they immediately pushed forward with their plan, continuously probing both the court and the harem.

Facing such pressure, the Emperor’s health deteriorated even further. He understood that if he were to crown the Fourth Prince, it would be even more difficult to regain control of the court given the current situation. Therefore, he would absolutely not relent easily.

Chu Lishu needed to capitalize on this mentality to pit the Emperor against Prime Minister Li and exhaust them both.

【Main Mission 2, Mission 25: Help the male lead abolish the faction supporting the Fourth Prince.】

In the original plot, the male lead dispatched people to spread rumors about problems with Mount Tai, symbolizing the Crown Prince. Meanwhile, he instructed Prime Minister Li to manipulate public opinion, while also ordering Gu Jing to cooperate with public opinion and deliver a divination conclusion stating “without crowning a Crown Prince, the world will be unstable”. This way, Prime Minister Li could directly pressure the Emperor with righteousness.

Additionally, the male lead utilized Duke Wei Guo. By that time, Duke Wei Guo harbored nothing but hatred, as Concubine Xu was executed, and Xu Wenze was arrested for involvement in poisoning the Emperor. Deceived by the male lead, Duke Wei Guo believed that everything was Prime Minister Li’s conspiracy. Thus, seeking revenge against Prime Minister Li, Duke Wei Guo directly confessed to the Emperor many of Prime Minister Li’s secrets regarding framing other princes. Duke Wei Guo acted out of his own desire to die and to implicate Prime Minister Li.

Originally, the Emperor should have been wise enough to discern the situation. However, because Prime Minister Li had been too aggressive in pushing for the selection of a Crown Prince before, the Emperor didn’t want to bother discerning anymore. He directly decided to eradicate Prime Minister Li and Concubine Mei.

But now, the situation is different. Although the plan of manipulating public opinion and the Qintian Observatory’s involvement can still proceed, Concubine Xu and Xu Wenze haven’t faced any trouble. Duke Wei Guo shouldn’t break under pressure. Thus, another thread to lure Prime Minister Li is needed.

Chu Lishu wasn’t in a hurry. He guided both sides to exhaust each other until one day, amidst the pressure from public opinion and the Qintian Observatory, the Emperor suddenly coughed up blood while he was in a standoff with Prime Minister Li in front of the entire court.

Chu Lishu then told Lin Qingyang that it was time. Lin Qingyang knew that Chu Lishu’s plan must be a series of steps, so he didn’t bother asking too many questions. Following Chu Lishu’s instructions, he secretly informed Gu Jing of the Qintian Observatory, asking him to leave some confidential messages there, then went into hiding to find Mr. Cao temporarily. Although they hadn’t revealed Gu Jing’s identity yet, they still needed to protect him.

Three days after Gu Jing disappeared, the Emperor finally discovered the issue with the scriptures. After all, he had observed a similar situation with Concubine Liu before, and upon realizing the similarity, he began a thorough investigation. Soon, the poisoned scriptures were found, and since they were given by Gu Jing, the Emperor immediately ordered his arrest. However, the Gu family had already vanished without a trace. After an intense search, it was discovered that Gu Jing had close dealings with Prime Minister Li.

During the court session that day, the Emperor presented the evidence to Prime Minister Li. He dared not arrest Prime Minister Li directly, fearing he might react rashly. The Emperor didn’t know the extent of Prime Minister Li’s power and had to proceed cautiously.

Upon seeing the evidence, Prime Minister Li immediately sensed trouble and began hastily defending himself.

He had indeed bribed Gu Jing previously regarding the Mount Tai rumors, leaving behind unavoidable evidence. As a result, he was caught by the Emperor, and the poisoning incident was also pinned on Prime Minister Li.

However, Prime Minister Li wasn’t one to be easily controlled by the Emperor. For a while, there was incessant arguing in the court, and it was during this time that Duke Wei Guo stepped forward to confront Prime Minister Li.

Although Prime Minister Li had long known about the enmity between the two, he hadn’t anticipated that Duke Wei Guo would step in at such a critical moment. All he could do was glare fiercely at Duke Wei Guo.

In the end, Prime Minister Li voluntarily confined himself to his residence, allowing the Imperial Court of Justice Review to investigate and clear his name.

This move was a retreat to advance, much like what Yuan Ye had done previously. It provided Prime Minister Li with the opportunity to make other preparations.

But he also forgot that Yuan Ye had suffered a crushing defeat in a similar situation.

Now, it’s the Emperor who seeks to deal with Prime Minister Li, and he will certainly not let pass those who attempt to poison him or seek his throne.

With only two months remaining, there’s still over half a month left. Chu Lishu knows that in a few days, there will inevitably be conflict between Prime Minister Li and the Emperor. This is because the Emperor has already started recalling Huo Luo, who has won battles and is currently organizing military affairs in the southwest, instead of choosing to recall Zhao Cheng.

When the time comes, as long as Chu Lishu manipulates things properly, he can certainly eradicate the faction supporting the fourth prince once and for all.

However, the current Emperor has completely overlooked one thing. When facing external enemies, if Prime Minister Li is present, they can still work together. But if he’s not, what awaits the Emperor won’t be a clear court session but rather a situation where he stands alone, fighting a lone battle.

But now, the Emperor, who is seriously ill, can’t even spare a thought for these details.

Seeing the situation firmly under Chu Lishu’s control, Lin Qingyang should have felt happy, but he couldn’t shake off a growing sense of unease.

One morning, as Lin Qingyang woke up, about to find Chu Lishu, who had been busy all night again, a sudden alert sounded in his mind.

【Main Mission 2, Mission 25: Successfully help the male lead abolish the faction supporting the Fourth Prince.】

The plot progress has reached 95%, and the points have increased to 3200.

But Lin Qingyang couldn’t feel happy because something was very strange. Just as he was about to reach Chu Lishu’s courtyard, he saw Chu Lishu rushing towards him, pulling him outside.

“What’s wrong?”.

“I just received news. A senior palace maid from Concubine Mei’s side suddenly confessed to the emperor about their plot to harm Concubine Xu. Concubine Mei confessed without hesitation and was immediately ordered to be sent to the cold palace. The Emperor also ordered that the Fourth Prince be entrusted to Concubine Xu for upbringing. Troops have been dispatched to surround the prime minister’s residence.”

Lin Qingyang immediately understood that Concubine Mei’s confession served as the catalyst for these events, causing almost all the pending accusations to collapse. No wonder the mission was completed, but they hadn’t even taken action yet. How could this suddenly…

In the eyes of the public, Prime Minister Li and his faction plotted for the throne. They first attempted to harm the prince in Concubine Xu’s womb, then bribed the Qintian Observatory to poison the Emperor. It all seemed meticulously planned and reasonably motivated. There was hardly anything left for them to argue about.

“I remember that the senior palace maid from Concubine Mei’s side was extremely loyal and trusted. How could she…” Lin Qingyang exclaimed in astonishment. Although this event seemed to have helped them complete the mission, it felt incredibly sudden and unexpected.

“Perhaps the Rmperor couldn’t wait and took action immediately, or… Duke Wei Guo. Anyway, let’s go to the Fourth Prince’s side first and ensure that the aftermath doesn’t drag us into it,” Chu Lishu suggested.

Since they were study companions of the Fourth Prince, they were automatically considered part of the faction supporting the Fourth Prince. If the faction supporting the Fourth Prince was eradicated, they would suffer as well. However, because they were merely study companions and not officials in the court, they were relatively safe. Originally, Chu Lishu had arranged an exit strategy for them, but with the sudden turn of events, they were caught off guard.

Before long, while they were comforting the fainting Fourth Prince, they received news that Prime Minister Li had escaped.

They, along with the Fourth Prince, were not implicated and were instead allowed to stay to take care of him, albeit with some restrictions on their freedom.

Concubine Xu came to visit the Fourth Prince. By now, her pregnancy was quite evident, and she could only walk slowly, appearing very inconvenienced. Her face was also weary, and upon seeing the Fourth Prince, she let out a sigh.

The Fourth Prince was very close to Concubine Xu. He cried out, “Concubine Xu, did Mother Consort really… really harm you?”

Concubine Xu’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, her face filled with melancholy. “I don’t know what happened either. It was His Majesty who told me, and that’s how I found out…”

Lin Qingyang noticed Concubine Xu looking tired from standing and quickly offered her a seat. After a brief conversation, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that everything seemed orchestrated by the Emperor, with the intention of not wasting any time and dealing with Prime Minister Li and Concubine Mei directly.

Chu Lishu gazed at Concubine Xu pensively before suddenly inquiring, “By the way, last time we heard that Brother Wenze fell ill after leaving the palace. I wonder how he is doing now…”

Concubine Xu’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? Isn’t my brother helping Father? How did he fall ill? What about Father…”

Observing Concubine Xu’s anxious reaction, Chu Lishu squinted his eyes slightly. Lin Qingyang understood that Chu Lishu was probing Concubine Xu, but he couldn’t discern any issues with the seemingly delicate Concubine Xu. Previously relying on the Emperor’s protection and now sheltered by the Empress Dowager, she seemed like a fragile hothouse flower that would wither without protection.

Concubine Xu’s expression became even more melancholic, and with a heavy heart, she prepared to leave. Before departing, she said to the Fourth Prince, “By the way, although His Majesty doesn’t allow others to visit Concubine Mei, he has granted me permission. If there’s anything you’d like to say, Your Highness, I can pass it on for you.”

The Fourth Prince looked at Concubine Xu in disbelief, feeling that she was truly a good person. Despite the possibility that Concubine Mei had harmed her, she still showed such kindness. He quickly said, “Please tell Mother Consort not to worry. I will take care of myself. As long as I work hard to make Father happy in the future, make achievements, I will definitely be able to bring Mother Consort out.”

The fourth prince, with his simple and straightforward nature, was anxious, but he still spoke in front of the victim. However, Concubine Xu didn’t show any anger; instead, she nodded in agreement. Then, she turned to Chu Lishu and Lin Qingyang. “I know you two have been helping Concubine Mei with your advice and strategies. Is there anything you want me to do for you?”

“Concubine Mei harmed you, and yet you still want to help?” Chu Lishu asked bluntly.

Concubine Xu paused for a moment, sighed, and said, “My son and I are both alive and well, but Concubine Mei will endure torment there forever. She’s such a proud person…”

Lin Qingyang was amazed by Concubine Xu’s virtuousness. He couldn’t help but feel it was a miracle for someone like her to survive in the palace for so long.

“We are just study companions to His Highness, we don’t have anything to say,” Chu Lishu said decisively.

Concubine Xu nodded and then left.

However, as soon as she left, Chu Lishu stood up immediately, indicating that he wanted to go out alone for a while.

Lin Qingyang asked privately, “Are you going to see Concubine Mei?”

Chu Lishu nodded, instructing Lin Qingyang to be cautious. Then he slipped into the night alone. With the help of Chief Steward Hai. So despite the strict guards Chu Lishu managed to infiltrate the cold palace.

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